Author: Maggie StiefvaterPublisher: Scholastic Press (July 13, 2010)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Advanced Reader's Copy
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Description from GoodReads:
In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.
At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.
I received a copy of Linger back in March and basically inhaled it in one sitting. However, it was too early to write a review at that point. Anyway, I am glad I saved my review though for now because I can do a back to back post. First, a review of Linger and then follow it up with an Author Event post about Maggie's visit to Borders/Glendale. Maybe even a contest for that ARC I have.
Back to my review of Linger. Last year, I accidentally happened upon Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I was looking for a book to read and saw a display on release day and picked it up. I read it straight through and fell in love with Grace and Sam. Stiefvater's writing was lyrical, heart-warming, and moving. There was something magical about it and I wasn't referring to the werewolves. It was probably my favorite read of the summer of 2009, and I highly anticipated the release of Linger.
In March, I had a chance to finally find out what happened to Sam and Grace. Linger picks up where Shiver left off. (Please note there will definitely be spoilers for Shiver and I will attempt to keep this as spoiler free for Linger.) Sam has supposedly been cured and isn't shifting from boy to wolf based on temperature. This should be an exciting time for Grace and Sam. However, this is a book 2. I say this because book 2 is always where the author takes her beloved characters and makes them struggle, suffer, go through really crappy things. And Stiefvater does not disappoint. These are the things that I *hate* about book 2, in any series. There were times while reading that I wanted to throw the book and other times when I wanted to scream at Stiefvater. Yes, I get emotional when reading about my favorite characters. And if the characters didn't struggle, the author wouldn't have done her job. Without saying much more about some of those struggles, let me just say keep the tissue box close by.
Now that you know what I *hated* about Linger. Here is what I loved about Linger? I loved the addition of a new wolf, Cole. Cole is charming, sexy, and definitely a bad boy. You will love him. He plays well off of Isabel's character and offers a bit of relief from the emotional rollercoaster that Sam and Grace are navigating.
What I am still up in the air about? Grace's parents have a much more prominent role in this book than they did in Shiver. I have mixed feelings about the transition from book 1's lack of involvement to book 2's extreme involvement. I'm still not sure about this, but you will have to see what you think about it.
Finally, the ending of the story, though the cliff-hanger, was somewhat predictable. I am not certain if the ending was the most natural progression for the story or if it was just the easiest. Despite though having a strong idea about how the book would end (not all of the details but the conflict), I still cried.
Linger may not win over any Shiver fence-sitters, but it will definitely be a book that passionate fans will be eager to read and devour.
If you post any comments, please keep them spoiler free.
Congratulations to Maggie Stiefvater for debuting at #1 on the New York Times Best-Seller List. Now I wonder if I can hack into her computer and download Forever?
-Aly